Posts Tagged ‘Rick Byrd’

We are off and running in another Belmont Bruins campaign! As we all know, these non-conference/exhibition games show us things that we may never see again. Last year in the season opener at Lipscomb the Bruins had to gut out a sloppy win. They were adjusting to new defensive rules and no Ian or Kerron. It took time to readjust and all that season produced was an OVC Championship game appearance and an NIT Elite Eight.Read the rest of this entry »

Well here we are again, folks. After graduating FIVE seniors, Belmont has earned the regular season OVC title and is playing against a very good EKU team in the OVC championship game tonight at 6:oopm on ESPN2.

To get here, Belmont had to beat a hot Morehead State team that had just defensively steamrolled Tennessee Tech the night before. We were worried that Belmont’s turnover-prone offense would have a hard time keeping things together against a team playing with a chip on it shoulder. Instead, Belmont’s insane shooting performance (FGM-A: 27-51, 52.9% & 3PM-A 11-24, 45.8%) naturally opened up the court to a defense that was on its toes all night.

From the seats, this game had everything. A convincing lead from the start by the home team, a swift return from the away team to even it up at half- and then a furious fight for victory at the end of the game all made for yet another riveting young chapter in the Belmont versus Murray State rivalry book.

From the seats, I don’t think I’ve heard the Curb Event Center that loud since the Lipscomb rivalry was, well, actually a rivalry. Our student section was great, the band on point, and even that old person side that I sit on now stood up cheering for a large portion of the second half.

Editor’s Note: So, even though Dunn’s recent post on the boro has MTSU fans googling our home addresses in fits of rage – I think we are starting to get our act together here. Each week, we are going to try and have a post up on monday morning reviewing what happened last week and looking ahead at the coming week. Consider it a weekly state of the state address. Nicky B is kicking things off with some talk about Craig’s Brain, Brookings South Dakota, and Ian Clark’s mediocre Senior year.

One of the many unique aspects of Belmont Basketball fandom is the seemingly unprecedented access to the coaches and players. Each year, I make it a point to make the Tip Off Luncheon because I love Sodexho and I love hearing Rick talk about his completely untested team. Who are ANY of these guys? Can they play the basketball? He has no idea. Read the rest of this entry »

Lipscomb twice? Yes, it is still there. I don’t know how long this will go on, but when is the visitation over? Don’t we get to the put them in the ground soon? Don’t get me wrong, I think the once a year thrashing is necessary for tradition sake- but let’s face it, we have a new rivalry: Virginia Commonwealth University.

The games at perennial powerhouses North Carolina and Kentucky are big games on the schedule that are necessary for RPI, but South Dakota State won’t be the same this year without newly departed star and current Milwaukee Buck, Nate Wolters. MTSU is another good one on the books, and we’ll need to see a huge Belmont crowd in Murfreesboro this year. Overall, the schedule is definitely challenging and I think can give us a national presence if we are able to win one of the big ones.

All about Belmont Men’s Basketball. This is a fansite, not affiliated with Belmont University. Editors: Brett, Kyle Director of Content: Nick For the latest and greatest, follow us on Twitter: @belmontbyrdcage Tips? Questions? Suggestions? Send it to; editorbelmontbyrdcage@gmail.com